Dharwad HC bench stays disqualification of ZP members

DHARWAD: The high court’s Dharwad Bench on Thursday granted interim stay to the State Election Commission’s order disqualifying four BJP members of Dharwad zilla panchayat for violating the whip issued by the party.
The SEC, acting on a complaint by BJP’s district unit president Iranna Jadi, had issued an order disqualifying Annappa Desai, Ratna Patil, Manjawwa Harijan and Jyothi Bentur- on June 10.The four members had allegedly voted in favour of a motion resulting in the ouster of Chaitra Shirur from the post of ZP president.
The disqualified members had then moved the HC bench.
Eleven Congress members along with an independent had moved the no-confidence motion against Chaitra Shirur on February 5, 2019. Sensing the possibility of cross voting, Iranna Jadi had issued a whip to all 10 BJP members to ensure that the no-confidence motion was defeated.
A special general body meeting of the ZP had been called on February 5, 2019 to discuss and put to vote the no-confidence motion.
Despite the strength of BJP coming down to 10 after the by-poll for the Hebballi seat and the number of Congress members going up to 11, Chaitra Shirur had continued in the President’s chair as the moratorium in the amendment to the Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj Act provided her protection from being removed before the completion 30 months in office.